Elastic fluid turbine arrangement



June 22, 1943. s. v R, slMKlNs ETAL 2,322,598

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE ARRANGEMENT Filed March 22, 1941 f Ivm/erw tors:I Stephen VJlSimrkmS,

Eugene E. H Tris, by Their Attomey.

Patented June 22, 1943 2,322,598. ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE ARRANGEMENT Stephen V. R. Simkins, Scotia, and Eugene E. Harris, Watervliet. N. Y., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 22, 1941, Serial No. 384,714

3 Claims. (Cl. 253--39l The present invention relates to elastic fluid turbine arrangements of the kind which serve to produce elastic fluid at a pressure intermediate the normal inlet and exhaust pressures. For ex-v ample, in certain power plants in which elastic fluid .of 600.1bs. per square inch is available for pore purposes, elastic fluid of an intermediate pressure of the order of 200 lbs. per square inch may be needed for processing or other industrial purposes. The source of 200 lb. pressure elastic fluid may be made available by tapping elastic fluid from an intermediatestage of a turbine. This type of turbine is known as an extraction turbine. An arrangement of this kind is disclosed in the patent to Ericson 2,095,860, issued October 12, 1937.

Another way of forming a source of 200 lb. pressure elastic fluid is to provide a back pressure or non-condensing turbine which exhausts elastic fluid at a pressure of 200 lbs. Such noncondensing turbines are preferably combined with a condensing turbine. An arrangement of this kind is disclosed in the patent to Ericson et al. 2,067,834, issued January 12, 1937, Re. 20,396, issued June 8, 1937, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The last mentioned type of turbine is known as a parallel flow turbine if the condensing and noncondensing turbines or turbine parts are fed from a single source with elastic fluid of the same pressures.

One object of the present invention is to pro- '.ide an improved construction and arrangement of combined condensing and non-condensing turbines, that is, of turbines which exhaust at different pressures.

This is'accomplished in accordance with our invention by the provision of an elastic fluid turbine arrangement in which two turbines exhausting at different pressures, such as condensing and non-condensing turbines or turbine parts, are united in a single casing and have rotors with a common shaft with the first stage bucket wheels of the rotors facing each other. Elastic fluid is conducted to the rst adjacent stages of the two turbines in accordance with our invention by the provision of a chest or chests secured to or integrally formed with the common turbine casing and a ring which is formed with channels for separately conducting elastic fluid fromlthe chest or chests through opposite sides of the ring to the first stage bucket Wheels of the turbines.

For a better understanding of what we believe appended thereto in connection withxhe accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Fig. 1 illustrates an elastic fluid turbine arrangement according to our invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of a part of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a side View partly in section of Fig. 2. l

The arrangement comprises a turbine casing Ill. Chest means, in the present instance two circumferentially spaced chests Il and I2, are integrally formed with an intermediate portion of the turbine casing. The chest IIl serves for conducting elastic fluid to the back pressure or non-condensing turbine located in the left-hand part of the casing III and having an exhaust outlet conduit I3 from which elastic fluid at an intermediate pressure may be supplied to a consumer. The chest I2 serves to conduct elastic fluid to the condensing turbine located in and partly formed by the right-hand part of the casing I0 and having an exhaust or outlet conduit I4 from which exhaust fluid may be conducted to a condenser or other consumer. The two turbines have rotors each with a set of bucket wheels I5 and I6 respectively including first stage Wheels or rows of buckets I5a and |60, secured to a common shaft II. The set of bucket wheels I5 with the shaft I'l form the rotor for the back pressure turbine and the set of bucket wheels I6 with the shaft I1 form the rotor for the condensing turbine or turbine part.

Each of the back pressure and condensing turbines is arranged for partial admission of elastic fluid whereby elastic fluid may be conducted to an arc only of the first stage bucket wheels of the of the ring is formed with a plurality of channels 24 extending from the outer cylindrical surface through the left-hand side 22. These channels 24 connect the chest II and the first stage wheel I5a of the back pressure turbine. In order properly to direct the fluid into the first stage'wheel, a known type of nozzle plate 25 is secured to the left-hand side 22 of the ring.

the'flow of elastic fluid from the chest ill to the 5 channels 24 is controlled in known manner by valve means 26.

The lower half of the ring is similarly provided with a plurality of channels 21 extending between the outer cylindrical surface and the right-hand 10 side of the ring to connect the lower chest I2 to the first stage wheel IGa `of the condensing turbine through the intermediary of a nozzle plate 28 secured to and supported on the ring for properly directing elastic uid to said rst stage 15 bucket wheel |611.

The flow of fluid to the condensing turbine is controlled by valve means 29 for connecting and disconnecting the individual y channels 21 and the chest I2.

In many instances it is desirable to maintain 20 the pressure in the outlet I3 of the back pressure turbine constant. This may be readily done by Vproperly adjusting the valve means 26. Thus, is the'pressure in the outlet I3 should drop due to increase in demand for back pressure elastic fluid 25 the valve means 26 for the back pressure turbine may be opened to permit an increased ow of elastic fluid through the back pressure turbine to maintain a fixed back pressure in the outlet I3. If at the same time it is desired to maintain the total mechanical load output of the turbine arrangement constant, this may be readily done by moving the valve means 29 in the direction opposite to that of the valve means 26. Thus, if

the valve means 26 are opened, as in the above 3J example. simultaneous proper closing of the valve means 29 will prevent changes of the totaLmechanical load output of the turbine arrangement.

Having described the method 4of operation of our invention, together with the apparatus which 40 What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is.

1. Elastic fluid turbine arrangement for furnishing intermediate pressure elastic fluid comprising a turbine casing having an intermediate portion, two circumferentially spaced inlet chests integral with the intermediate portion, a rotor having a shaft with two independent sets of bucket Wheels forvrotation in the same direction with the first stage wheels of each set adjacent each other disposed within the casing, and means comprising a ring member detachably supported on the casing and sealed to the shaft and forming passages for conducting elastic uid from one chest to one set of wheels and simultaneously from the other chest to the other set of wheels.

2. Elastic fluid turbine arrangement comprising a condensing turbine and a non-condensing turbine, the two turbines having a single casing and a single shaft with first stage bucket wheels for the two turbines facing each other so that the elastic uid conducted to the turbines flows in opposite directions therethrough, and means for simultaneously conducting elastic iluid to both turbines comprising chest means integral with the casing, a ring detachably connected to the casing and forming channels for conducting elastic fluid from the chest means to the condensing turbine and other channels for conducting elastic fluid from the chest means to the non-condensing turbine, and means sealing the ring to the shaft.

3.The combination of an elastic uid turbine casing, chest means integral with an intermediate portion of the casing and a ring disposed within and detachably secured to the casing, said ring having a channel for conducting fluid from the chest means to one side of the ring and another channel for conducting fluid from the chest means to the opposite sides of the Vring and means supported on the ring for sealing the ring to 'a shaft.

STEPHEN V. R. SIMKINS. EUGENEE. HARRIS. 

